The jury celebrates Rafaële Giovanola not only for her outstanding body of work, but also for her enduring influence on contemporary dance. Her artistic legacy continues to inspire future generations and enrich the field with imagination, rigor, and originality.
Joy Alpuerto Ritter is a boundary-crosser who effortlessly moves between genres, stages, and spheres of activity – commenting on them, serving them, or merging them – always with her own signature: a powerful lightness. With great appreciation for her work, the jury of the German Dance Award 2027 therefore honours Joy Alpuerto Ritter in the category “Outstanding Performer.”
The awards ceremony will take place as part of a dance gala on Saturday,
March 13, 2027, at 7:00 p.m. at the Aalto Theater in Essen.
Advance ticket sales for the event through the Ticket Center of the Theater and Philharmonie Essen will begin in September.
The detailed program for the dance gala will be published in the fall of 2026.
The evening will be hosted by Vivian Perkovic—known, among other things, from the 3sat magazine program *Kulturzeit*.
The dance gala was presented with interpretation into German Sign Language (DGS).
The German Dance Award is the most prestigious prize for dance in Germany.
The award honours outstanding dance personalities in Germany.
Read all about the background and history of the German Dance Award here.
